Article | The Story Of Gulbakawali Says 'Save Water' | Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh | Central Chronicle

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The Story Of Gulbakawali Says 'Save Water'

-    Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh

Writer, Author & Social Activist

Blogger - "Climate Diary Of Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh"

 

         Earth is the only planet in the entire universe where water and life exist till date. Therefore, we should not ignore the importance of water in our lives and try our best to save water by using all possible means. When we feel thirsty we drink water. We know that the Earth is mainly covered with water, but still, there is not enough water for human use. The reason for this is that this water is not fit for drinking. Only 3% of water on Earth is available to meet human demand. So water conservation is essecel.Old stories have played an important role in creating awareness about water conservation. In this context, the story of “Gulbakawali” is also unique and message-giving in itself.

The practice of storytelling has been going on since ancient times. Countless stories have been told around the world. Some of them have been very famous and educational. Like Vishnu Sharma had given necessary education to the princes through the stories of “Panchantra”. The world-famous “Arabian Nights Stories” teach us how to deal with adversity and love nature while entertaining us. These stories are from a region where there has always been a shortage of water. Therefore, there are many stories in which the message of water conservation and saving water is present. One such story is “Gul bakawali”.

Gulbakawaliis an old story which has been told in different versions in different countries, but one thing remains the same in every version, that is to meet one's needs with less water. Till today I remember the story of Gulbakawaliwhich my grandfather, freedom fighter Thakur Shyam Charan Singh, told me. When I grew up and did a Google search about the story of Gul bakawali, I came to know that Munshi Nihal Chand Lahore had transcribed it in Urdu and it was published in 1927 by Darul Ishaat Punjab, Prakashan Lahore. Although this story is a story from Arabian Nights. On this story N. N. in Telugu in 1962 under the direction of T. Rama Rao. Trivikrama Rao had made a movie. That was very much liked.

The plot of the story I had heard was that a king had lost his eyesight. Then the doctor tells him that if Gulbakawali flower is brought and its extract is put in the eyes then the eyesight can be restored. Then the king will be able to see again. The doctor also tells that that flower is found in a remote place beyond seven seas and seven mountains. The king announces that whoever brings Gulbakawali flower will be given a big reward. People do not come forward due to fear of losing their lives, then a poor young man named Yasin approaches the king. He assures the king that he will return with Gulbakawali flowers at any cost.

Yasin sets out to collect Gulbakawali. He has to face many difficulties at night. He keeps moving forward without fear. After crossing seven seas and seven mountains, he comes to know that a princess has Gulbakawali flowers in her garden. But it was difficult to reach that princess's palace. There was a ditch filled with mud all around the princess's palace. The condition imposed on him was that whoever wanted to reach the princess's palace would have to walk through the mud. But when he reaches the princess, he should not have any mud on his feet. Only a very small bowl of water was kept to clean the mud. Therefore, hearing the talk about the beauty of the princess, many young men reached there but could not clean the mud from their feet with a very small bowl of water and were arrested and thrown into jail.

When Yasin reached the muddy ditch, he came to know that after crossing it, he would get only a very small bowl of water to wash his feet. Yasin was a clever young man. He plucked two-three thin sticks from a nearby bush, peeled them, made them into a tongue-cleaner type and kept them in his pocket. Then Yasin crossed a ditch filled with mud. His legs were covered with mud from knees to toes. Yasin took out a wooden tongue cleaner from his pocket and cleaned the mud from his feet. Then the remaining mud was also cleaned with the second tongue cleaner. When the mud was wiped off from his feet, he wiped his feet thoroughly with his handkerchief and then applied the given water on his feet like oil and wiped them again with the handkerchief. Now his feet were so clean as if there had never been mud on them.

When the maids saw that Yasin's feet were completely clean, they took him to their princess. The princess was very impressed by Yasin's cleverness. When he asked Yasin the purpose of his coming, Yasin told him that he had not come to see the beauty of the princess but to collect the Gulbakawali flower from her garden. He wants his king's blindness to go away. The princess became more happy after knowing this. He felt that Yasin was not only smart but also kind, otherwise who would risk his life for others? Nevertheless the princess took some more tests of Yasin, in which Yasin was successful. The princess gave Gulbakawali flowers to Yasin. While taking leave from the princess, Yasin asked, “Why did you keep only a very small bowl of water for washing feet?”

To this the princess replied, “I did this because the person who understands the importance of water and can fulfill his needs with less water, would prove worthy of meeting me.”

That is, in this story of Gul Bakawali, while there is a description of the medicine of Gulbakawali flower in the form of a herb, there is also a lesson on thriftiness of water. In view of the increasing water crisis across the world today, we need to remember the lesson of the Princess of Gulbakawali.

Water is so precious that only 1% of the total water available on Earth is potable. An average human being requires about 250- 400 liters of water every day. Additionally, our body is made up of 70% water, so 2-3 liters of fresh water is required daily. A century ago, there was enough water to meet human demands. To solve the problem of water shortage in future, water conservation is saving water. There is a severe shortage of water in India and other countries of the world due to which common people have to travel long distances to get the water required for drinking and cooking as well as for completing daily tasks. On the other hand, in areas with sufficient water, people are wasting more water than their daily needs. We all should understand the importance of water and the problems related to water shortage in future. We should not waste and pollute the useful water in our lives and should promote water conservation and saving among the people. Stories like Gulbakawali give the important message of water conservation.

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Thank you Central Chronicle 🙏

 (05.11.2023)

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